The Murals | Recreation in Harlem

Georgette Seabrooke's Recreation in Harlem, conceived for the walls of the nurses' recreation room in the New Nurses Residence Penthouse, describes recreational activities in Harlem. In a series of vignettes, the 108-square-foot work depicts people reading, children playing and wrestling, a couple dancing, a group of women chatting in a parklike setting, and other scenes of leisure. More than half of the two dozen figures in the mural are women. Figures are drawn close together, as if gathered for a snapshot of life in Harlem. Seabrooke explained that her "attempt was to give the nurses something to look at, something which they could partake in and find interesting rather than their own personal work which in a recreation room might not be as exciting as a subject apart."